Wild Open (13 page)

She blinked. Well, that was a lot to take in. “He hasn’t seemed too coked-out to me.” Speaking from painful experience.

“O’Connor found cocaine in Andrew’s hotel room when we were in L.A.,” James said, looking and sounding incredibly grim.

Leah started laughing.

“It isn’t funny,” James said.

“You guys suck at being rock stars,” Leah said, after she’d gotten herself under control. “Really? You found some coke in his room? Oh my God! Musicians totally don’t have a reputation for doing tons of drugs. Nobody in the history of rock and roll has ever gotten wasted and trashed a hotel room. Come on. What is this, a children’s choir?”

O’Connor’s mouth was twitching. “She has a point.”

“He seems like he’s depressed,” Leah said. “Not necessarily like he’s about to go on a drugged-up rampage.”

“You didn’t know him before,” James said.

She shrugged. He was right, but that didn’t mean she was wrong. She thought that the most likely worst-case scenario was that Andrew had a total mental breakdown. Drugs came in a distant second.

“Anyway,” O’Connor said. “This is getting depressing. Let’s talk about how my mouth is about to turn into a flaming wasteland of spicy death.”

James’s smile looked a little reluctant, like he didn’t want to be amused by O’Connor but was anyway. “Leah, it’s good that you like Korean food. We’ll visit my parents’ restaurant when we’re in Chicago in a couple of weeks.”

“Your parents own a restaurant?”

He nodded. “I basically joined the band so that I would never have to chop cabbage again, but somehow I still end up working in the kitchen whenever I’m home for more than a few days.”

“Moms,” O’Connor said. “They give you that look, and you feel so fucking guilty that you do whatever they want just to get them to knock it off.”

“
Women
,” James said, and Leah threw a napkin at him while O’Connor laughed.

* * *

The show in Portland went off without a hitch, aside from how incredibly fucking sweaty O’Connor got within five minutes of stepping on stage. The arena was indoors, and for some reason a spotlight pointed directly at him the entire time—he would have to talk to Luis about that—and his hair and clothes and even his
feet
were completely drenched by the end of the show. As soon as the encore was over, he high-fived everyone, discreetly patted Leah’s butt, and hauled ass for the shower.

Summer was the worst. He didn’t understand why they couldn’t tour in the winter.

He cranked the shower’s taps to somewhere between “lukewarm” and “tepid,” and the sensation of the water pouring down his back was the best thing he’d ever felt. And if he was thinking about Leah when he wrapped his hand around his dick, well—nobody would ever know.

He was pretty relaxed by the time he went back into the large room they were using as a lounge. The others were already there, performing their usual post-show rituals: checking Twitter (James), exulting (Andrew), talking too much (Timory), and drinking beer (everyone). Leah was typing on her phone and smiling. O’Connor sat down beside her and opened a beer. “Who are you texting?”

He was being incredibly nosy, but Leah looked up at him and smiled, apparently not offended. “My brother. He always wants a full trip report of the show.”

“You guys were in Rung together, right?” O’Connor asked.

She nodded. “He played the drums. We made a badass rhythm section.”

O’Connor smiled. “I bet.What’s his name?”

“Luka,” she said absently, typing something else on her phone.

Luka. And Leah. “Wait a second.”

She looked at him and sighed. “Yes, we’re twins.”

“Holy shit,” O’Connor said.

“Our parents were big Star Wars fans,” she said, and shrugged. “Believe me, whatever jokes you’re thinking of making, I’ve heard them all before.”

“I’m, uh. Wow,” O’Connor said, really trying pretty hard to act like this information was no big deal. “Star Wars fans who like Korean food? Your parents sound like interesting people.”

“That’s one word for it,” she said, grinning. “They’re weird, but kind of awesome. They grow pot in the back yard.”

“I really want to meet your parents now,” he said, and she laughed and lightly smacked his upper arm with the back of her hand.

The door opened, and Rushani came in, carrying a stack of pizza boxes. Behind her came a pimply, adolescent delivery guy with his own stack of boxes. O’Connor watched the kid’s eyes widen as he realized exactly who he was delivering pizzas to.

“I hope some of you are hungry,” Rushani said.

“Rushani, you’re a god among men,” Andrew said.

“I’m a woman,” Rushani said crisply, setting the boxes down on a table. “But thanks.”

The kid approached Andrew, eyes wide as dinner plates. “C-could I get your autograph?”

O’Connor looked at Leah and grinned. “Time to get out of here,” he whispered. “You grab a box of pizza, I’ll grab some beer.”

“Where are we going?” she whispered back.

He winked. “You’ll see.”

“How do I spell your name?” Andrew asked.

They slipped out of the room with their contraband, giggling like naughty children. Rushani had shot O’Connor a warning look, but he didn’t care. He wasn’t doing anything wrong. He and Leah were just hanging out. It was totally innocent.

He hoped Rushani wouldn’t question him in person. He was a shitty liar.

“How do you know where we’re going?” Leah asked, as he led the way through the maze of corridors beneath the arena. “Have you been here before?”

He shook his head. “Once, but I don’t remember anything useful. I’m just following the signs.” He pointed to a nearby placard on the wall that had arrows pointing in opposite directions, each with a list of amenities. He was following the arrows for “Back Lot.”

Leah laughed. “And here I thought you had some freakish sense of direction.”

“Would that make me seem more manly and impressive?” he asked. “If so, yes, I’m navigating by instinct, like a migrating bird.”

“I already think you’re pretty manly,” Leah said, which made O’Connor feel like he could slay lions.

They went outside, into the lot behind the arena where the buses were parked. It was a cool, clear night, with no moon. O’Connor walked over to the rear of the closest bus and handed Leah the six-pack he was carrying. “I’m going up,” he said. “Pass me the stuff when I’m up there and then climb up after me.”

“What, on top of the bus?” she asked, making a skeptical face.

He grinned. “Exactly.”

The roof of the bus was mostly flat, with a minor slope at either edge where it curved down to meet the sides. O’Connor scrambled up the ladder attached to the rear of the bus and onto the roof. It was dirty, but his clothes had been through worse, and he didn’t think Leah would mind. She didn’t strike him as being particularly squeamish. He crouched on the roof at the top of the ladder and reached down to take the beer and the six-pack. She scrambled up after him. He clasped her hand once she was in range and helped to draw her to the top. Her hand was small and warm in his.

They sat cross-legged on top of the bus and opened the pizza box. It steamed lightly in the cool air. Leah asked, “Are we allowed to be up here?”

O’Connor shrugged. “Probably not, but who’s going to stop us?”

They ate half of the pizza, washing it down with beer. Nothing would ever come close to Chicago-style deep dish, but as far as O’Connor was concerned, all pizza was good pizza. Then, completely stuffed, they lay on their backs on the roof of the bus and gazed up at the sky. Leah lay close enough that he could feel the warmth of her arm against his, almost but not quite touching.

The glow of the city lights hid most of the stars, but a few bright points shone through. He found the Big Dipper above them, its handle aimed upwards. He nudged Leah and pointed. “Look.”

“Ursa Major,” she said. “And there’s the Little Bear.”

“It doesn’t look much like a bear to me,” he said.

“It’s hard to see in the city,” she said. “Too much light pollution. If you go out where it’s really dark, you can see the head and the legs and the rest of the body. We used to go camping at Joshua Tree, and our dad would keep us up half the night looking at the stars.”

“Mm, sexy. I like a woman who knows things. Tell me more.”

She laughed, a breathless little puff of air. She pointed to the handle of the Big Dipper and moved her finger to the left. “There’s Bootes, the Herdsman. That bright star is Arcturus.” Her finger tracked downward toward the horizon. “And there’s Spica, in Virgo.”

O’Connor squinted. He’d never been good at spotting constellations. The Big Dipper was the only one he knew, other than Orion.

“So, real talk,” Leah said, dropping her hand. “O’Connor is obviously not your first name. What’s the deal with that? Do you have a really embarrassing name and you don’t want anybody to know?”

“Well,” he said. Where had this come from? “Basically, yeah.”

“You have to tell me,” she said. “You know my embarrassing name situation. It’s only fair that you tell me yours.”

“This is top secret shit,” he said. “How do I know you won’t spill the news to the press?”

“You mean nobody’s dug up your birth certificate yet?” she asked. “Weak. Your fans must not be very invested.”

“You minx,” he said, amused. “Incredible. I can’t believe you’re busting my chops while you’re trying to get me to open up.”

“Is it working?” she asked.

He folded his arms behind his head and grinned up at the night sky. “Fine. I’ll tell you.”

“Really?” she asked.

“You have to promise not to tell anyone.”

“I promise.”

“Herbert,” he said.

“
Really
?”

“Really,” he said. “After my grandfather.”

“Oh my
God
,” she said, and burst out laughing.

O’Connor sighed, and waited her out.

“You poor thing,” she said, wiping away tears. “That must have been terrible as a kid.”

“Yeah, my parents are assholes,” he said. “I have four siblings, and they all have totally normal names. I’m the only one who got screwed. It’s worked out okay, though. Going by my last name makes me seem sexy and mysterious.”

“Is that what you think?” she asked, turning her head to look at him. “Mysterious? Sexy? Well, Herbert, I know the truth now, and—”

There was only one way to get her to shut up

He rolled onto his side and kissed her.

She made a noise against his mouth, surprised or pleased, and then she raised her hands and slid them into his hair. He kissed her slowly and carefully, like she was a wild creature who would startle away at any sudden movement. He curled one hand around her hip and thought of sliding his hand beneath her shirt, how warm and smooth her skin would be. But that would probably end in one of them falling off the bus.

She pushed him away after a few minutes, her chest heaving. “I thought we weren’t going to do this.”

He shrugged. “We held out for three days. I think that’s worth at least a bronze medal in the Sexual Tension Olympics.”

“That isn’t a real thing,” she said. “
Herbert
.”

“I’m going to push you off the bus, Star Wars,” he said, and she laughed and rolled against him, resting her head on his chest. He curled his arm around her shoulders and held her close, feeling her breath making a warm patch on his shirt, feeling his heart beating like a kettledrum. Above them, the stars wheeled endlessly through the dark sky.

CHAPTER TEN

Leah began to settle into the routine of the tour. They slept on the bus for the next two days, for their shows in Seattle and Vancouver. She woke around 10, drank coffee with whoever was awake in the front lounge, texted Luka, and then bummed around with O’Connor until soundcheck. They were being completely unsubtle, and she had gotten some disapproving looks from Rushani and James, but she didn’t care. She was reliving her teenage years, giddy and foolish every time she saw him, a stupid grin stretching across her face until she ducked her head to hide it. She saw the same look on his face: stunned, elated. It would all come crashing down eventually, but she didn’t care about that now.

She usually ate dinner with Rinna, who was quickly becoming her #1 tour buddy. And after dinner, the show: the best part of her day, even more so than the time she spent with O’Connor. Music was better than any man. It would never leave her, and every time was just as good as the first. The thrill never wore off. Music never rolled over in bed and started snoring and left her hanging.

Not that she was bitter.

And not that she thought O’Connor would ever treat her like that. But you never knew.

In Vancouver, she had her first meet-and-greet. “We don’t do these in every city,” Rushani explained. “It’s sort of a special thing, usually if a local radio station organizes it. And it’s not in your contract, so you can totally skip it if you want to, but the fans have been asking, and so I thought—”